Machine for lacing shoe-uppers.



H. E. ENSLIN.

MACHINE FOR LAGING SHOE UPPERS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. \5, ms.

Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

HERBERT E. ENSIJIN, OF MALDEN. MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON. NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR LACING SHOE-UPPERS.

memes.

Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

Application filed February 15, 1915. Serial No. 8,333.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I. IIERBICRT l). Exsmx, a citizen of the United States, residing at Malden, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in .\la-. chines for Lacing Shoe-l 'ppers; and I do hereby declare the following'to be a full, clear, and exact description of'the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

The invention relates to machines for lacing shoe uppers in which a series of needles or spindles are arranged to pass a series of loops of lacing cord through the eyelet holes of an upper. Q

In machines of this type the needles are usually mounted in a series of needle carrying blocks which are late'1'all adjustable to vary the spacing of the needles in accordance with the spacing of the eyelets of the upper to be laced.

The object of the presentinvention is to provide novel and improved means for supporting and guiding the needle carrying blocks so that they will be accurately maintainod in position to properly cooperate with the other parts and mechanisms of the machine. v

To this end the invention comprises the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and referred to in the claims.

The invention will be readily understood fro an inspection of the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the mechanism illustrated therein.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation showing the carrier in which the looper needles and cooperating looper tingers are mounted; Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the front end of the carrierwvith the slide in which the looper fingers are mounted removed; and Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the front end of'the carrier.

In the drawings the invention is shown as embodied in an upper lacing machine having substantially the construction and mode of operation of the machine shown and described in Patent No. 1,030,573, June 25. 1912, and Patent No. 1,030,517, June 25, 1912-. In this machine a series of loops of lacing cord is held by a series of looper needles and a cooperating series of looper lingers in position to be passed through the eyelet holes of an upper. The needles and looper fingers are mounted in a verticallv movable carrier and cooperate with a shuttle or cord carrying needle and with a knot tying mechanism to form, insertand tie the lacing cord, In the drawings the carrier in which the needles and loopcr fingers are mounted is indicated at- :2. The looper IIQPJllGSIi: are secured in spindles (i which are mounted in needle carrying blocks 8 adjustably supported in the forward endv of the carrier Each needle block is provided with a depending lug 10; the rear face of which engages and is guided by thejfront face of a guide plate 12 at the forward end of the carrier. The lower surface of the. block at the rear of thelug 10 engages and is guided by. the upper edge of the guide plate 12. The upper surface of the block engages and is guided by the under surface of a, guide bar 14 which extends across the front end of the carrier abovethc needle blocks. A front plate '16 is secured to the front end of the carrier,and cooperates with the guide. plate 12 and guide bar 14 in supporting and guiding the needle blocks. Each block is provided at its rear end with an upwardly extending lug 18. the upper end of which is slotted to embrace one of the looper carrying blocks so that the looper blocks will be adjusted laterally with the needle carrying blocks when the needle carrying blocks are adjusted to vary the spacing of the needles. The needle carrying block at the right in Fig. 1 is secured in fixed position, while the other needle carrying blocks are connected with the up per ends of a series of connected links 22, through which the blocks may be adpistcd laterally to properly space the needles, as. fully described in Patent No. 1,030,517 above referred to.

In embodying the preferred form of the present invention in a machine having the construction above described, a spring pressed guide bar 24: is arranged to engage the front faces of the lugs 18 on the laterally movable needle blocks, so that the blocks are pressed firmly against the guide plate 12, and so that any tendency for the blocks to drop away from the under surface of the bar 11, due to the wear of the parts or to any slight play between the blocks, and the guiding surfaces. is eli'ectively resisted. The bar, therefore, acts to maintain the needlesof the series in accurate aline1nent,'a1nl to hold them firmly i'nposition to properly cooperate with the shuttleor cord carrying needle and other cooperatingparts of the machine. As shown, the spring 'pressed' gulde'bar 241s secured to two studs 26 which are mounted to slide in the cross-bar 14, and the bar is forced firmly against the lugs 18 and the movable needle blocksby i I thespringsQS which surround the studs and are'interposedfbetween the bar '24 and the rea rfa'ce'of the crossbar l-l. lhebar 24 is cutaway at 30. so that it does not engage the fixed needle-block. While ii; s preterred to employ the spe- ClfiGCODStI'IlCtlOIl and arrangeinei'it of parts shown and describedin embodying the 'in- I vention in the machine of the patents re ferred to, it will be understood that this construction and arrangement is'not essen-' tial to the broader features of the invention, andniay be varied orn' odifiedas found desirable or best suited 'to the construction of the machine in which it is to be embodied.

I-Iaiting explained the nature and object of the invention, and specifically described one form of mechanism in which it be embodied what is claimed is i- 1. Amachinefor lacing shoe uppers, havingym'comb nation, a plurality of needles arranged to passa series ofloops of lacing' cordtl'iroughthe eyelet holes of an upper, --a serles ofneedle carrying-blocks laterallv adjustableto 'Vary'the spacing of the needles, a carrier prov1ded-w1th a guideway for the blocks, and-spring operated means for pressing the blocks against a guiding surface of the guideway.

21A machine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination, a plurality ofineedles arranged to pass a series of loops of lacing cord through the eyelet holes of an upper, a series of needle carrying blocks laterally adjustable to vary the spacing of the needles, a carrier provided with a guideway for the blocks, and agspring pressed bar engaging theblocks and pressing them against a guiding surface of the guideway.

3. A n1achine for lacing shoe uppers, having, in combination. a plurality of needles arranged to pass a series of loops of lacing cord through the eyelet holes of an upper,a v

series of needle carrying blocks having oppositely facing surfaces, anda carrier for the blockshaving guides engaging said surfaces,'one ot' which is spring pressed.

4. A- machine for lacing shoe uppers having, in combination, a plurality of needles arranged to pass a series of loops of lacing cord through the eyelet holes of an upper. a

carrier provided with a guide plate at its forward end, a series of needle carrying blocks provided with depending lugs, the rear faces of which engage the frontface of the guide plate, a cross-bar on the carrier overlying the needle .blocks. a front plate secured to the carrier and underlying the needle blocks in front of the depending lugs, upwardly extending lugs at the rear of the blocks, and a spring pressed bar engaging the front faces of the lugs. v

v HERBERT E. ENSLIN.

\Vitnesses O. BLANCI-IE HARonAvEs, ELIZABETH C. COUPE. 

